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Discovering Russia: Cherdyn Released by Tri Kvadrata Publishers

Sep 15, 2007

Cherdyn: Architectural Heritage in Photographs has recently been published by the "Tri Kvadrata" publishers in Moscow with the support of the Kennan Institute. This book is devoted to the architectural and historical heritage of Cherdyn, one of the oldest towns in the Perm territory. The text and photographs are by William Craft Brumfield, a leading western specialist on the history of Russian architecture, professor of Slavic studies at Tulane University in New Orleans, and honorary fellow of both the Russian Academy of the Arts and the Russian Academy of Architecture and Construction Sciences.

The book contains color as well as black-and-white images of architectural and historical monuments photographed by Brumfield during his extensive trips in the Perm territory. The negatives for these photographs are preserved in the William Brumfield Collection at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

The volume begins with the author's survey, in Russian and in English, of the architecture of the Cherdyn region in its historical context. In addition to Cherdyn itself, the book includes monuments from other regional historic sites such as Nyrob (associated with the family history of the Romanov dynasty), Pokcha, Vilgort, Iskor, Kamgort, Pianteg, Ianidor, and Tokhtarevo. The frontispiece reproduces a map fragment from the 1745 Atlas Rossiiskii, published by the Imperial Academy of Sciences.

This is the fifth volume in the "Discovering Russia" series of books dedicated to lesser known corners of Russia and their architectural history. The series includes Brumfield's previous books on Totma, Irkutsk, Tobolsk, and Solikamsk, and will include future volumes on Kargopol and Chita. These books are intended for those interested in architecture, history, photography and, regional studies. By virtue of the dual language text of these books, readers not only in Russia but abroad will become better acquainted with these rare treasures of Russia's cultural heritage.